Two Surfers Tell of Romance with the Seas on African Voices

Two surfers of repute this week grace the studios of Cable News Network’s (CNN) African Voices ChangeMakers with tales of candour and grit as they continue to conquer the tempestuous waves of the sea. The magazine programme is sponsored by telecommunications company, Globacom.

They are 24-year-old Khadija “Khadjou” Sambe, a Senegalese member of the Blacks Girls Surf group and Jose Peffer, a South African mentor of the Waves for Change Initiative who both have long years of romance with the seas.

Sambe lived in Ngor, a fishermen’s village in Dakar, the capital of Senegal surrounded by water which fanned her foray into the male-dominated field of surfing at age 14 during which her uncles and cousins helped her to develop enough grit to befriend the sea on her surfing board.

Her relocation to Northern California notwithstanding, she has continued to work closely with her community in Senegal through an initiative, Black Girls Surf with which she inspires a new generation of Senegalese girls to surf. Sambe’s biggest dream is to represent her country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics – a dream which has been temporarily put on hold by the Covid-19 pandemic.

On his own part, Peffer mentors budding surfers in South Africa through the Waves for Change Initiative which combines the passion for surfing with evidence-based mind and body therapy in order to provide child-friendly mental health services to over 1,600 children in under-resourced areas of his country.

African Voices Change Makers will be on DSTV on Friday at 9.30 a.m. and on Saturday at 12.30 p.m., 5.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. Other repeat broadcasts come up on Sunday at 5.00 a.m., 9.30 a.m. and 8.30 p.m., with more repeats on Monday and Tuesday at 5.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. respectively

Stakeholders, Residents Denounce Fake News on Igando Police Station Invasion There have been wide condemnation and criticisms over the tension created by alleged fake news purportedly suggesting military invasion and forceful removal of the Igando Divisional Police Officer, CSP Taiwo Kasumu.

This is even as the Lagos State Police Command has debunked the alleged military invasion, describing the news as false and mischievous.
Reacting, a first class Royal father and traditional ruler of Igando, Oba Gbadebo Gbadamosi, the Onigando of Igando, condemned the said video, describing it as “pure wicked lies”.

The traditional ruler, who vouched for the DPO, stated that he was in a security meeting with him between 8am to 1.30pm the very day he was allegedly whisked away by the military.

“In fact no such thing happened. The DPO is a nice and honest police Officer. I don’t know why some criminal elements are plotting this evil news to dent his image.”

The Oba, who called on the state commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, to investigate, fish out and prosecute the originator of the fake video, enjoined Lagosians to obey government restriction order, by staying at home.

Speaking on the tension created by the rumours of military invasion of her Local Council Development Area (LCDA), the Chairperson of Igando/ Ikotun LCDA, Chief Mrs. Moronike Williams, confirmed that there was no invasion or arrest of the DPO.

She frowned at the intention of the said fake news and urged residents to remain calm and obey the restriction order. “How can somebody fabricate such falsehood in one of the largest communities in our LCDA,” she queried.

“The DPO Igando, Dr. Taiwo Kasumu, a Chief Superintendent Of Police, is a very seasoned Police Officer with a track record. He is unassuming, tough but very firm and always stands for justice, equality and fair play.”

Igando Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) Chairman, Alhaji Adebayo Muftau Alani, said the tension created by rumours about the impending attack by One Million Boyz, Igando has been peaceful and calm.

He commended the efforts of the DPO to rid Igando off criminal elements and lambasted the originators of the fake news and video, calling them enemies of the society.

“The truth is that nothing of such happened in Igando and the DPO Taiwo Kasumu, is still in charge. He is a fantastic man, hardworking and unlike other officers, he does not pressurise residents for money. The fake news they are circulating is the handiwork of some criminal elements, who are not comfortable with his crime fighting ability.

According to the Lagos Police Command, the video clip and report trending in the social media, was a calculated attempt by some mischief-makers to dent the image of the command, create confusion and panic in the area.

In an interview with the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, he expressed shock and anger over the said news and video clip.

The Police Spokesman, who categorically debunked the allegation, said that the information and video were tissues of falsehoods and a product of misguided mischief-makers.

“This is completely a fake news. We were with the state Commissioner of police in his yesterday tour of Agege, Iju, Dopemu, Igando and environs. At Igando, the CP visited there with the Brigade Commander and addressed Lagosians and there was no issues.”

Emphasising, DSP Elkana said that the military or even the army, did not arrest any DPO in Lagos. The military cannot remove any DPO as they erroneously reported, because both forces have different chains of command.

He further explained that the DPO, Igando Police Station is not on transfer and has not been removed from his position by the CP.

“CSP Taiwo Kasumu is one of the most hardworking and fine officers in the command, who is contributing his quota to protect lives and property in the State, Elkana said.